While the driver escaped with whiplash-type injuries, his wife was hospitalised with fractures.

An examination of McNulty's Peugeot 407 revealed the vehicle's MOT was out of date, it had a bald tyre and a defective brake. Defence lawyer Steven Molloy said McNulty was on his way home from work on an unfamiliar road, when he came to a bend, considered a "black spot" and which he "entirely misjudged".